For most young people, spending a week at camp is a fun getaway, but when we think deeper about the idea of summer camps, they are transformative experiences that shape character, create independence, and support developing social skills with peers. Summer camps are filled with valuable life lessons that stay with young people for years to come. Here are 10 of the most important things that kids learn from summer camp.

1. The “I can do it!” mindset

At camp, kids get opportunities to make their own decisions — some for the first time without their parents. Whether it’s keeping track of their belongings, picking what class they want to take, or what free time activity they want to do, kids gain a sense of responsibility and self-sufficiency that boosts their confidence. Even with counselors and other camp staff supporting campers, there are still plenty of opportunities and decisions campers get to make on their own. Being exposed to decision-making at an early age, in a safe environment, starts building young people’s confidence, and an “I can do it!” mindset.

2. That adults can be fun!

Camp is one of those “third spaces” where everything exists in a different way from what we know. It’s not home or work. It’s not school or church. It’s something different. And because camp is something different, young and old approach it differently. Adults let loose, run through bubble machines, join in the food fight, and sit with kids in the cafeteria. Campers embrace new experiences and trust those in charge to embrace the plan for the day. Camp creates a third space for kids to connect with adults, and for adults to engage with kids. Studies have shown that when kids have adults, other than parents, pouring into them, they are more likely to succeed. At camp, adults are fun, and kids see and remember that.

3. Resilience and adaptability

At camp, kids are faced with new challenges, from unfamiliar activities to unexpected obstacles. Whether it’s dealing with homesickness, gaining the courage to conquer the high ropes course, or working within their cabin, young people learn to push through new difficulties they’ve never had to experience. The camp environment provides opportunity to develop resilient spirit and adaptability to changing situations with a positive attitude.

4. Outside isn’t boring

Recent censuses have shown that 80 percent of the people living in the United States live in urban environments. When young people get on the camp bus that drives hours into an unfamiliar environment, and asks them to engage with nature, for many, it’s new, uncomfortable, and scary. However, camps bring kids to the outdoors in non-threatening and safe ways. Through fishing with friends, visiting the animals, and gathering at the flagpole and singing camp songs, young people gain a fun exposure to what the outdoors can be like, different from their context.

5. How to navigate face-to-face conversations

Summer camp allows kids to develop their social skills by engaging in face-to-face conversations, resolving conflicts, and making new friends from diverse backgrounds. With screens becoming more and more prevalent in schools and homes, camp may be one of the only screen-free experiences many young people have. Engaging with peers in person creates empathetic opportunities for our kids. Seeing emotion rather than seeing a response on a screen is valuable. Camps create opportunities for connecting in real life and navigating through life with others.

6. Meeting friends from different places

Oftentimes, young people’s worldviews are limited to their neighborhoods, schools, and churches. Leaving what they know and exploring somewhere else, with people from different places, creates diverse and eclectic opportunities. At camp, young people learn about other ways of life from their peers in their cabins. Not everyone drives a car, comes from a Christian home, or has two parents. When we meet people from new places, young people find out friends come from all over and have all kinds of experiences.

7. Jesus cares for us everywhere

With Scripture being the foundation of Salvation Army camps, kids learn that God’s love is everywhere. Young people learn facts from a literal perspective, which includes learning about God and the Bible. Sometimes that literal stage of life is where they learn about God. At home, God is there because we pray. At church, God is there because we sing and learn about Him. Camp adds to the places where our young people experience God and see His character at work. Creating spaces for Jesus’ teaching reinforces for both the young and old that God’s love is everywhere.

8. Camp food is consistent

No matter what camp you find yourself in, in any part of the country, camp food is always consistent, and that means a lot to many campers who attend Salvation Army camps. Having consistent hot meals three times a day is something many young people who attend our camps notice and appreciate. Not all young people have consistent access to meals; camps take away that worry for parents and campers. Even when they don’t like the meal, to some of our campers, it’s a comfort to know it’s always coming.

9. How to connect while disconnected

Many camps encourage or enforce a break from screens, giving kids a chance to engage in real-world experiences without the distractions of phones, social media, and video games. This pause from technology forces kids to fill their time with things and people around them. When kids break away from constantly being digitally connected, they become more deeply connected to the world they are in.

10. I can take things home I can’t see

When a kid leaves camp, they leave with a changed perspective. They learn new things, try activities they never thought of, meet peers they would never know outside of camp, and receive an outpouring that brings them closer to a God who is actively seeking them out. Those moments and memories go with the camper, and they inform who that young person is, how they interact with their friends back home, what they say yes to. It’s the things that kids take from camp, which make it one of the most impactful experiences.

Camp exposes kids to new environments. Connecting to adults, peers, and outside through the camping experience creates developmental opportunities in which young people thrive. Camp prioritizes young people holistically, and from it, kids leave changed.

Want to learn more about attending or working at camp? Visit peermag.org/work-at-camp/ to find a camp near you.